In WaPo’s DemocracyPost, Christian Caryl takes note of certain poll results:
Trump attacks the press? One poll this past July showed that 45 percent of Republicans approved of the government shutting down media deemed “biased or inaccurate.” Trump plays fast and loose with democratic norms? An August survey found that fully half of GOP voters would support postponing the next presidential election if Trump proposed it. Trump praises Russian President Vladimir Putin? A poll this past May found that 49 percent of Republican voters regard Russia as friendly or an ally. Trump expresses frustration with democratic constraints on his power? A Pew Research Center poll last year revealed that fully one-third of Republicans favor the idea of a strong leader who can govern without interference from Congress or the courts.
And to those Republicans who affirm these positions, I should like to say …
You may be Republicans, but you are not Americans any longer.
I’m not going to bother to say I’m ashamed of those Republicans, or appalled. Folks, if that’s how desperate you are to hold on to the privilege of governing, of being part of some imagined elite that depends on being in control of American government, then you’re no longer Americans.
You simply yearn to be a member of an autocratic country. And we don’t need you here.
Being American means believing we function best as a Republic, with elected representatives with specified powers, all corralled by checks and balances, and kept relatively honest by a free press. If any of that is not to your taste, hey, Russia’s always looking for new citizens.
Write and tell us how that works out for you.
